Cotton picker of the spindle type



June 11, 1957 R. H. MEIER 2,795,095

COTTON PICKER OF THE SPINDLE TYPE:

Filed Aug. 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. R. H. MEIER June 1957 I R.H. MEIER 95,096

COTTON PICKER OF THE smnu: TYPE Filed Aug. 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 446O I 50 I l4 0 48 I6 56 42 5e H I .2

INVENTOR. R. H. MEIER United States Patent O COTTON PICKER OF THESPINDLE TYPE Robert H. Meier, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to DeereManufacturing Co., Dubuque, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa ApplicationAugust 8, 1955, Serial No. 526,926

6 Claims. (Cl. 56-41) This invention relates to improved means formounting mechanism that is auxiliary to the picking mechanism of acotton picker of the spindle type. More particularly, the inventionrelates to means for mounting spindle-moistening means for movementbetween operating and servicing positions.

A typical cotton picker in which the present design finds its mostpractical utility is shown in the Thomann and Meier Patent 2,719,394. Ina cotton picker of that type, a plurality of vertically spaced apartseries or layers of rotating spindles move through individual orbits toperform the picking operation. At a particular zone in each orbit ismeans for dofling the picked cotton from the respective spindles and atanother zone in each orbit is means for applying a moistening agent tothe spindle, 'which process has been found to improve the pickingcharacteristics of the spindles or fingers.

In known machines, the moistening means comprises a column on which issupported a plurality of vertically spaced apart moistener members orpads, equal in number to and mounted for movement between an operatingposition and a servicing position.

The operating position is the normal position of the auxiliary meanswhen the machine is functioning and this position is relatively remotefrom the available access door. The means is mounted for shiftingbetween its two positions and releasable securing means, accessiblethrough the access opening, normally holds the means in its operatingposition. When the releasable means is released, the moistener or otherauxiliary means may be swung to a position relatively close to theaccess door, whereby access thereto may be had through the accessopening when uncovered. The invention features a simple and inexpensiveconstruction that may be readily adapted to machines of existing design.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable featuresinherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as apreferred embodiment thereof is disclosed in detail in the ensuingspecification andaccompanying sheets of drawings, the several figures ofwhich will be described immediately below.

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a typicalcotton picker housing. 1 v

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but showing theaccess doors removed. r I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, as seenalong the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

ice

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, in part in elevation, as seenalong the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Those familiar with cotton picker construction as typified by thedisclosure in the above noted Thomann and Meier patent will recognize inthe drawings a'supporting housing A made up of a plurality of uprightand horizontal walls. Among these are a bottom or floor 10, a top wall12, an intermediate wall or ceiling 14 and several upright walls 16, 18and 20, the last named of which will be hereinafter referred to as afront wall. However, directional designations are for purposes ofconvenience only and it will be obvious that the parts could occupypositions other than those illustrated and described. The ceiling 14divides the housing A into upper and lower compartments B and C, and thefront wall 20 has access openings 22 and 24 which lead respectively toor are in register with the compartments B and C. During normaloperation of the machine, these openings are closed by closure means inthe form of doors 26 and 28. Wing nuts 30 and 32 are shown asrepresentative securing means for the doors.

At one side of the housing A is a vertical tube or conduit 34 whichforms part of pneumatic conveying means for removing doffed cotton fromhousing-contained picking mechanism D. This mechanism is of a well-knowncommercial type utilizing a plurality of series of generally horizontalradially projecting fingers or spindles 36. The angular spacing of thespindles will be apparent from Fig. 3, in connection with which itshould be noted that the section of Fig. 3 is such that the top wall 12does not appear in the figure and a portion of the ceiling orintermediate wall 14 is broken away, so that a part of one of thespindles 36 shows in full lines. The vertical spacing of the spindles 36will be apparent from Fig. 2.

An auxiliary device, here a moistener means E, is contained within thehousing in association with the picking mechanism D. The type ofmoistener shown here is like that forming the subject matter of thepatent to Grosvenor 2,654,204; although any typical moistener could beused if arranged as will be presently disclosed. The herein illustratedmoistener comprises an upright shaft 33 of hexagonal or otherwisenoncircular section on which a plurality of rubber elements 49 arestacked to form a column 42. The upper end of the column, as at 44, iscarried in the ceiling 14 by means of an upper pivotal support F, andthe lower end of the column, as at 46, is carried in the floor or bottomIt by a lower pivotal support G. The ceiling .14 has a circular aperture48 for receiving a carrier 50 that forms part of the upper support F.This carrier is rigidly but removably secured to the ceiling 14 by aplurality of cap screws 52 (Fig. 3). 'The upper end 44 of the column 42is supplied with a moistening agent by means of a suitable conduit 54and the theory of operation of the moistener means E is that themoistening agent will flow downwardly through the column and will flowthence outwardly through individual branches 56 to column-carriedmoistener members or pads 58. As best shown in Fig. 4, each pad 58serves to moisten the spindles in the associated circular series.

The top end portion 44 of the column 42 is circular and is thereforerotatable or angularly movable in the ceiling-carried carrier 50. Thesame characteristic is true of the lower pivotal means G; although, thedetailed construction of the two supports is somewhat different.Nevertheless, these details are immaterial. In normal operation, theangular position of the column will be such that the pads or members 58project rearwardly or in set-back relationship to the front wall 20,which position is .shown as position H in Fig. 3. In this operatingposition, the pads are cooperative with enced are eliminated by thepresent invention, because of the bi-positionable characteristic of themoistener means E. This feature results from the use of the upper andlower pivotal supports so that, in conjunction with releasable securingmeans I, the moistener means B may be turned so that the pads move fromposition H to a servicing position il (-Fig. 3). The servicing positionplaces the pads 58 relatively close to the front wall 20 and removal ofthe doors or closure means 26 and 28 permits ready access to theinterior of the compartments, and especially to the service-positionedpads 58.

The releasable lock at I is preferably accomplished by the provision onthe top end 44 of the column42 of a lockable portion in the form of avertical groove 60 which, when the moistener E is in position H,registers with a groove 62in the carrier 50. An L-shaped pin 64 isdropped into the alined or registered grooves and receives a removablecotter pin 66 to prevent accidental displacement of the pin 64. As willbe readily appreciated, it is a simple matter to remove the accessrdoors 26 and 28, after which'the operator may reach in through thelower access opening 24 to remove the cotter pin 66 from the locking pin64. Access to the locking pin is had through the upper access opening22. After thelock isremoved, the moistener E may be swung from position'H to position I for servicing, after which restoration to the normaloperating position H may be accomplished and that position secured byrestoring the locking pin 64 and cotter pin 66.

Features of the invention in addition to those pointed out specificallyherein will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the art, as will manymodifications and alterations in the preferred embodiment of theinvention disclosed, all of which may be achieved without (departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cotton picker: a supporting housing structure including a floor,a top wall, an upright front wall connecting said floor and top wall, ahorizontalintermediate wall extending back from the :front wall anddividing the housing into upper and lower compartments, saidintermediate wall having an aperture therein set back from the frontwall, and said upright wall having upper and lower access openingstherein leading respectively to the upper and lower compartments;picking mechanism supported by the structure in the lower compartment,in-

cluding a plurality of vertically spaced apart picker.

fingers setback from the upright wall; moistener means in the housing,including a column having a lower end proximate to the floor and anupper end projecting through the intermediate wall aperture and intotheupper compartment, said column having thereon a plurality ofhorizontally projecting moistener members spaced apart vertically on'theorder of the pickerfingers; upper and lower pivotal support meansmounting the upper and lower endsof the column respectively on theintermediate wall and floor for angular movement'of the column aboutitsupright axis between an operating position, in which the moistenermembers cooperate with the picker fingers and "are relatively remotefrom the lower access opening, :and a servicing position in'which saidmembers are proximate to said lower access opening; said upperpivotalsupporbmeans including a lockable portion exposed to "the uppercompartment, a releasable lock element in said upper compartment andselectively engageable with "and'disengageable from said tlockableportion to ac'hi'eve respectively the operating and senvioing positions:of the column; and :removable closure means adapted for mounting on thehousing structure to close the access openings.

2. In a cotton picker: 2. housing structure having a compartment definedby a floor, a ceiling and an upright wall, said wall having an accessopening therein; picking mechanism in the compartment and supported bythe structure, including a plurality of vertically spaced apart pickerfingers set back from the upright wall; moistener means including acolumn having a lower end proximate to the floor and an upper endproximate to the ceiling, said column having thereon a plurality ofhorizontally projecting moistener members spaced apart vertically on theorder of the picker fingers; upper and lower pivotal support meansmounting thte upper and lower ends of the column respectively on theceiling and floor for angular movement of the column about its uprightaxis between an operating position, in which the moistener memberscooperate with the picker fingers and are relatively remote from theaccess opening, and a servicing position in which said members areproximate to said access open ng; releasable locking means forselectively locking the column in its operating position and forreleasing the column to swing to its servicing position; and removableclosure means adapted for mounting on the housing structure to close theac cess opening.

3. In a cotton picker: a housing structure having a plurality of wallsdefining a compartment, one of said walls having an access opening forsaid compartment; picking mechanism in the compartment, including aportion relatively remote from the access opening; auxiliary meanssupported by the housing structure in the compartment, including asupport proximate to the access opening and a member projecting from thesupport in an operating position proximate to the picking mechanismportion and thus relatively remote frornthe access opening; meansmovably mounting the support on the housing structure 'for shifting ofthe member relative to the picking mechanism to a servicing positionproximate to the access opening; means releasably securing the auxiliarymeans -in its operating position; and removable closure-means adaptedfor mounting on the housing structure'to close the access opening.

4. In a cotton picker: a housing structure having a plurality of wallsdefining a compartment, one of said walls having an access opening forsaid compartment; picking mechanism supported by the housing structurein the compartment, including aportion relatively remote from-the accessopening; auxiliary means in the compartment, including a supportproximate to the access opening and a member projecting from the supportin an operating position proximate to the picking mechanism portion andthus relatively remote from the access opening; means movably mountingthe support on the housing structure for shifting of r the memberrelative to the picking mechanism to a servicing position proximate tothe access opening; and means on said auxiliary means forreleasablyisecuring the auxiliary means in its operating position.

'5. In a cotton picker: a supporting housing structure having-a floor, atop well, an upright front wall connecting said floor and top wall, ahorizontal intermediate wall extending back from the front wall anddividing the housing into upper ,andlower compartments, saidintermediate wall having :an aperture therein set back from the frontwall, and said upright wall having upper and loweraccess openingstherein leading respectively to the upper and lower compartments;picking mechanism supported by the housing structure in theflowercompartment, including a plurality of vertically spaced apart pickerfingers set back from the upright wall; auxiliary means in the housing,including an upright support having a lower end proximate to the, floorand an upper end exposed to the upper compartment through theintermediate wall aperture, said support having thereon a plurality .ofhoribetween an operating position, in which the memberscooperate withthe picker fingers and are relatively remote from the lower accessopening, and a servicing position in which said members are proximate tosaid lower access opening; said upper pivotal means including a lockableportion exposed to the upper compartment; and a releasable lock elementin said upper compartment and selectively engageable with anddisengageable from said lockable portion to achieve respectively theoperating and servicing positions of the column.

6. In a cotton picker: :a housing structure having a compartment definedby a floor, a ceiling and an upright wall, said wall having an accessopening therein; picking mechanism supported by the structure in thecompartment, including a plurality of vertically spaced apart pickerfingers set back from the upright wall; moistener means in the housing,including a column having a lower end proximate to the floor and anupper end proximate to the ceiling, said column having thereon aplurality of horizontally projecting moistener members spaced apartvertically on the order of the picker fingers; upper and lower pivotalsupport means mounting the upper and lower ends of the columnrespectively on the ceiling and floor for angular movement of the columnabout its upright axis between an operating position, in which themoistener members cooperate with the picker fingers and are relativelyremote from the access opening, and a servicing position in which saidmembers are proximate to said access opening; and releasable lockingmeans for selectively locking the column in its operating position andfor releasing the column to swing to its servicing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,352,291 Scarratt et al. June 27, 1944 2,433,083 Baker et al. Dec. 23,1947 2,649,677 Paradise Aug. 25, 1953 2,654,204 Grosvenor Oct. 4, 1953

